just a few questions ....

i replaced the valve cover gaskets on my s500 last week and i noticed that i have a serious oil leak from the passanger side cover(with the new gasket, wasn't leaking before). it seems to come from the front of the engine towards the timing cover/above the distributor cap area. i checked the area and it seems to be seated properly but there's definitely oil comming out of there as the whole bottom cross member on the passenger side is soaked in oil and i'm getting 4-5 small oil puddles on the ground when the car is sitting. I traced the leak all the way up to the valve cover gasket area.

there's also a little bit of smoke when the engine gets hot.

i ordered another valve cover gasket from the dealer and i'm planning to install tomorow, beeing more careful to clean the mating surface of the head and cover(skipped this step) and torque the bolts with a torque wrench vs. by hand like i did this time around.

does anyone have any good pointers on doing this job right?(i.e use RTV sealant somewhere, torque in a specific sequence,etc)

i see that the torque spec is 9 Nm but i'm having a hard time believing that will be enough to provide a good seal.

Well....there isnt any pressure in there, so the seal needs to be just tight enough not to let oil out. Try a star pattern of sorts with the tightening. Go over them a second time (gingerly) and then leave it alone.
I'm sure somebody has a picture that they can post with Zee Official Tightening Seekwens for zee velf cuffers.

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It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. Robert A. Heinlein


09 Jetta TDI
1985 300D

Have you checked to make sure the oil cap is sealing properly. Sometimes, one of the metal tabs does not grab underneath and it will leak out if both tabs are not correctly positioned (ask me how I know).

Otherwise, you may not have positioned the gasket correctly around the cam area.

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1993 400E, 256,000 miles (totaled)
1994 E420, 200,000+ miles
1995 E420, 201,000 miles

Believe the spec. If you have seriously overtorqued the screws, you can distort the cover and cause a leak.

thanks guys.

got the new gasket today and will install it first thing tommorow. this time i'll be using a torque wrench and doing everything by the book :-)

i'll keep you posted.